Refrigerating apparatus



Feb; 13, 1940.

Filed June 29. 1938 w. w. HIGHAM REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

lllllll'llllllllli mullllv' 1N VENTOR.

William 61). Hz'gizam ATTORNEY-5 Feb. 13, 1940. w. w. HIGHAM REFRIGERAT ING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. willz'am cu. l z'y/ww @440, Ww-dq ATTORNEY. 6

Feb. 13, 1940. w. w. HIGHAM REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY 76W, W

ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 13, 1940 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS William W. Higham, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Universal Cooler Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan- Application June 29, 1938, Serial No. 216,457

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and it has to do particularly with a socalled bottle cooler. A so-called bottle cooler usually takes the form of a cabinet having a 5 quantity of water therein which is cooled and the bottled beverage placed in the cabinet and submerged or partially submerged in the body of water.

This invention has to do with an arrangement .0 where the cooling action is obtained by refrigerating mechanism and it is concerned particularly with a type of evaporator unit.

In accordance with the invention the evaporator is preferably fashioned from a long strip 5 of stock which includes a tubular formation and lateral flange means. This stock is fashioned into coils with flange means forming a solid wall, using the term solid in the sense that the wall is substantially unbroken. The coil thus formed is shaped to substantially fit into the cabinet in proximity to the walls thereof and the coil preferably extends substantially completely around the side walls. In use the evaporator is largely submerged in the water and the evaporator defines an area within which the bottled beverage is to be disposed. Certain features of a detailed nature. are regarded as important,

but these will be better understood as the detailed description progresses. o In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet const'ituting a bottle cooler with parts broken away to show interior structure.

Fig. 2 is a rather diagrammatic illustration 5 of a device embodying-the invention.

Fig. 3 is a view looking into. the cabinet with some of the parts shown in horizontal section.

Fig. 4 is a view looking into the cabinet with some of the parts shown in vertical section.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. {1.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a control element.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of a gusset plate formation.

5 Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the complete cooler or evaporator unit.

The cabinet is generally illustrated at I in Fig.

1 and it is arranged so that access may be had into its interior as by means of slidable closure 3 elements 2. .This cabinet, as shown in Fig. 2, may be equipped with a suitable refrigerating mechanism in its lowerportion. This mechanism is rather diagrammatically illustrated and, as shown, includes a motor 3 for driving a com- 5 pressor 4 while the condenser is illustrated 'at 5.

' 12 Claims. (01. 2-99) Expanded refrigerant is conveyed to the compressor through the pipe line 6, and the compressed refrigerant passes from the compressor through a pipe line I to the condenser, and condensed refrigerant passes from the condenser 5 to the cooling unit through a pipe line 8. As illustrated', the motor is controlled by a suitable switch, the motor being an electric motor, the switch being illustrated at 9 and controlled thermostatically, for which purpose the switch has 10 conductors I 0 extending therefrom. This is a rather general disclosure of a compressing and condensing apparatus, and it will be understood that this particular apparatus may vary, and indeed, so far as the invention is concerned, the cabinet may not be equipped with its individual apparatus, but may be otherwise supplied with refrigerant. The cabinet may be of a shape other than rectangular, as for example circular or round in horizontal section.

The upper portion of the cabinet preferably has insulated walls l5 defining an interior area a 16, and the bottom of this area is generally illustrated at I1 (Fig. 2). This portion of the cabinet is designed to be partially filled with water, say up to about the line A as shown in Fig. 4, when the compartment is loaded with bottled beverage.

The evaporator or cooling unit is disposed within the cabinet and preferably extends substantially completely around the inner walls. This evaporator is generally illustrated in Fig. 8. It is fashioned from a long length of stock which is preferably extruded with a cross sectional shape as shown in Fig. 5. The metal may 5 be, and preferably is, aluminum or an aluminum alloy, which lends itself to the extrusion process, but other metal may be used such as copperor other copper metals or alloys, or the like. The extruded stock has a tubular formation 20 with 40 lateral flanges 2|. The flanges at their edges may be equipped with aformation such as an enlargement 22. A long length of such strip of stock is fashioned back and forth to provide a plurality of runs of tubing with the edges of the flanges in abutting relationship, as shown in Fig.

'5. The lateral flanges are removed from the stock at places where the stock is fashioned with return bends 23. The meeting edges of the flanges may be secured together by strips or clips 24 fitted over the abutting enlargements 22. This is shown at 25. As illustrated, the evaporator comprises a coil which includes four runs in vertically superposed position and, as mentioned above, this structure is formed by removing the lateral flanges at the desired loca tions and then fashioning the stock back and forth to form runs in juxtaposition to each other connected by return bends 23 at the places where the flanges are removed. Also, the lateral flanges may be removed from the extreme ends of the tube, thus providing an inlet 25 and an outlet 26. The extreme ends may be fashioned into rounded form for the reception. of couplings 21.

This coil structure may be fashioned while in substantially flat form and then it is bent to form corners and with dimensions such as to substantially flt into the compartment as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It may rest upon the bottom |1 making contact with the bottom at the edge of the lowermost lateral flange. The uppermost lateral flange is preferably disposed angularly outwardly as shown in Fig. 5 to abut substantially against the wall of the container. This keeps various extraneous matter, such as dirt accumulations or the labels which are soaked oil" the bottles, from becoming lodged between the walls and the evaporator structure.

The corner where the bends 23 come into proximity may be reenforced by a gusset plate 30, opposite edges of which are angled so as to abut the flange formation as shown in Fig. '7, and the attachment may be made by means of screws 3|, and in order to get a sufficient hold for the screws, tapped screw plates 32 may be secured to the flanges. This gusset plate may be fashioned with a recess, as illustrated, over which a holding device in the form of a clip 33 may be disposed for purposes which will presently appear.

The refrigerant may be controlled by suitable means such as an expansion valve 35into which the conduit 8 leads, and the outlet 26 may be coupled to the conduit 6. The expansion valve may be controlled by a suitable thermostatic element having a so-called feeler 56 which may oe clamped to the portion 26 by a suitable clamp 31, and a small tube 38 leads from the feeler to the expansion valve as shown. An additional control may govern the operation of the motor, the electrical conductors for controlling the circuit for the motor extending into the compartment and down to a thermostatic control element 39 clamped between the recess of the gusset plate and the clip 33. The conduits 6 and 8 of the conductors It! may pass out of the cabinet near the upper end through a passageway 40 and then down along the side of the cabinet as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, and may be covered by a plate 4|.

The expansion valve and other associated mechanism may be enclosed by a box-like structure generally illustrated at 46. This may be a sheet metal affair with side walls 42, 43 and a top wall 44 which may be formed from the same blank, and one edge of which may be fashioned over the wall 43 and secured thereto as illustrated atr45. The edges of the walls 42 and 43 may be fashioned to provide flanges 48 and 49 arranged to abut against the inside walls of the compartment and which may be secured to the inside walls, and the metal at the lower edges of the walls may be fashioned with angular gusset-like parts 50 and 5| arranged to be secured to the inclined flange 2|. 1

In the normal use of the apparatus the compartment will be partially filled with water and the bottled beverage is disposed in the compartment within the area I6. When the compartment is substantially completely loaded with bot- 'valve is disposed above the liquid level.

tles the level of the water is raised, but this should be at about the line A, as shown in Fig. 4. Accordingly, it will be noted that the expansion The liquid, of course, fills in between the walls of the compartment and the Wall structure of the evaporator, which is formed by the flanged tube structure shown in Fig. 5. Thus the evaporator has a smooth wall defining the interior area for receiving the bottles. In the course of use some debris may collect, as for example, labels which are soaked from the bottles and which may float around on the water or sink to the bottom. The structure of the evaporator prevents such debris and extraneous matter from collecting and depositing back of the evaporator, since the space back of the evaporator is quite well closed off, due to the fact that the evaporator rests upon the bottom of the compartment and is closed at the top by the flange 2|. Of course, the flange 2| does not close the corner at the location of the bends 23, but this is closed by the box structure 46 and gusset plate 3!]. The box structure does not form an air tight or water tight arrangement, but as shown in Fig. 4 has its lower edge depending below the upper edge of the wall of the evaporator.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator for bottled goods or the like having a cabinet, an evaporator body formed from a tube having lengthwise extending flange means thereon, said tube being fashioned into a coil with a plurality of spaced runs connected by bends in the tube, the flange means being removed from the tube at the location of the bends, said evaporator body being fashioned to substantially fit into the cabinet with portions of the body extending along and in proximity to vertical walls of the cabinet, said flange means forming a substantially solid wall defining an area for the reception of goods to be refrigerated.

2. In a refrigerator for bottled goods or the like having a cabinet, an evaporator body formed from a tube having lengthwise extending flange means thereon, said tube being fashioned into a coil with a plurality of spaced runs connected by bends in the tube, the flange means being removed from the tube at the location of the bends, said evaporator body being fashioned to substantially fit into the cabinet with portions of the body extending along and in proximity to vertical walls of the cabinet, said flange means forming a substantially solid wall, the flange means at the upper edge of the evaporator extending outwardly from the said solid wall and into substantial contact with vertical walls of the cabinet.

3. In a refrigerator for bottled goods or the like having a cabinet, an evaporator body formed from a tube having longitudinally extending flange means thereon, said tube being fashioned into a coil with a plurality of spaced. runs connected at their ends by bends in the tube, the flange means being removed from the tube at e location of the bends, said evaporator being fashioned to substantially fit within the cabinet with portions extending along and in proximity to the walls of the cabinet and with its ends at the location of the bends coming into proximity at one corner, the runs being superposed in vertical relationship and the flange means cooperating to form a substantially solid wall.

4. In a refrigerator for bottled goods or the like having a cabinet. an evaporator body formed from a tube having longitudinally extending flanges means thereon, said tube being fashioned into a coil with a plurality of spaced runs connected at their ends by bendsin the tube, the flange means being removed from the tube at the location of the bends, said evaporator being fashioned to substantially fit within the cabinet with portions extending along and in proximity to the walls of the cabinet and with its ends at the location of the bends coming into proximity at one comer, the runs being superposedin vertical relationship and the flange means cooperating to form a substantially solid wall, the flange at the uppermost run extending outwardly from the said solid wall and into substantial contact with the vertical walls of the cabinet.

5. In a refrigerator for bottled goods or the like having a cabinet, an evaporator bodyformedfrom a flanged tube fashioned into a coil with a plurality of spaced runs connected at their ends by bends in the tube, the flange being removed from the tube at the location of the bends, the flanges of successive runs cooperating to close the space between the runs and form a substantially solid wall, said evaporator body being fashioned to substantially fit into the cabinet with the solid wall formed by the flanges extending around the interior of the cabinet and in proximity to the inner walls thereof and with the tubular formation between the inner surface of said solid wall and the cabinet walls, the ends of the evaporator being constituted substantially by the said bends in the tube and said ends being disposed in close proximity. I

6. In a refrigerator for bottled goods or the like having a cabinet, an evaporator body formed from a flanged tube fashioned into a coil with a plurality of spaced runs connected at their ends by bends in the tube, the flange being removed from the tube at the location of the bends, the flanges of successive runs cooperating to close the space between the runs and form a substantially solid wall, said evaporator body being fashioned to substantially fit into the cabinet with the solid wall formed by the flanges extending around the interior of the cabinet and in proximity to the inner walls thereof and with the tube between the inner surface of said solid wall and the cabinet walls, the ends of the evaporator being constituted substantially by the said bends in the tube and said ends being disposed in close proximity, the topmost flange of the body being fashioned to extend outwardly from the said solid wall and into substantial contact with the cabinet walls for closing the space between the cabinet walls and the said solid wall.

'7. In a refrigerator for bottled goods or the like having a cabinet with a closed bottom and closed side walls and accessible from the top and adapted to contain a body of water, an evaporator body formed from a tube with laterally extendingflanges, said tube being fashioned into a coil with a plurality of spaced runs connected together at their ends by bends in the tube, the lateral flanges being removed from the tube at the location of the bends, said evaporator body being fashioned to substantially fit into the cabinet with the runs of the coils in vertically superposed relation with the lateral flanges cooperating to form a substantially solid vertical wall spaced inwardly from the vertical walls of the cabinet, the end portions of the runs where connected by the bends being disposed in close proximity adjacent one corner of the cabinet, and the topmost flange of the body being angularly disposed outwardly into substantial contact with the walls of the cabinet to close the space between the cabinet walls and the said solid wall.

8. A refrigerator for bottled goods or the like comprising a cabinet having a closed bottom and closed side walls and accessible from the top and adapted to contain a body of water, an evaporator body formed from a tube with laterally extending flanges, said tube being fashioned into a coil with a plurality of spaced runs connected together at their ends by bends in the tube, the lateral flanges being removed from the tube at the location of the bends, said evaporator body being fashioned to substantially fit into the cabinet with the runs of the coil in vertically superposed relation and with the lateral flanges cooperating to form a substantially solid vertical wall spaced inwardly from the vertical walls of the cabinet, the end portions of the runs where connected by the bends being disposed in close proximityadjacent one corner of the'cabinet, and the topmost flange of the body being angularly disposed outwardly into substantial contact with the walls of the cabinet to close the space between the cabinet walls and the said solid walls, and a gusset plate connecting the ends of the evaporator body at the said corner.

9. A refrigerator for bottled goods or the like comprising a cabinet, an evaporator body formed from a tube having laterally extending flanges, said tube being fashioned into a coil with aplurality of spaced runs with the lateral flanges cooperating to provide a substantially solid wall,

said body being fashioned to substantially flt into the cabinet with a portion extending along and in proximity to each wall of the cabinet and with the end portions at the location of the bends in the tube disposed in proximity to each other at one corner, the two ends of the tube extending upwardly above the evaporator body substantially at said corner, refrigerant control means disposed substantially in said corner and above the evaporator and connected to one of said ends of the tube for controlling the flow of refrigerant into the evaporator, a conduit connected into the other end for the flow of expanded refrigerant from the evaporator and a housing disposed over and enclosing the refrigerant control means.

10. In a refrigerator for bottled goods or the like having a cabinet, an evaporator body formed from a tube havinglengthwise extending flange means thereon, said tube being fashioned into a coil having a plurality of superposed runs, said evaporator body being fashioned to substantially fit into the cabinet with the runs of the coil extending along and in proximity to the walls of the cabinet. the flange means of the runs forming a substantially solid wall-defining area for the reception of, goods to be refrigerated.

11; In a refrigerator for bottled goods or the like including a cabinet with a bottom and side walls and which is accessible from the top, an evaporator body formed from a. tube having lengthwise extending flange means thereon, said tube being fashioned into a coil with a plurality of runs disposed in superposed relation, said evaporator being fashioned to substantially fit into the cabinet with the superposed runs extending along and in proximity to the side walls walls and which is accessible from the top, an evaporator body formed from a tube having lengthwise extending flange means thereon, said tube being fashioned into a coil with a plurality of runs disposed in superposed relation, said evaporator being fashioned to substantially fit into the'cabinet with the superposed runs extending along and in proximity to the side walls of the cabinet, the flange means of the superposed runs forming a substantially solid wall-defining area for the reception of goods to be refrigerated, the flange means of the uppermost run of tubing extending laterally from the wall formed by the said flange means and into substantial contact with the side Walls of the cabinet.

WILLIAM W. HIGHAM. 

